3 Different Ways to Reward Your Employees for Doing a Great Job

If the pandemic has taught us anything – it’s that burnout is a real thing and can happen to just about anyone, even if they appear to have seemingly flexible work schedules.

Everyone was super hyped about the aspect of working from home for the foreseeable future – until they realized that more and more people began to feel unhappy, disconnected, and overwhelmed by their work – especially since they were working from home and didn’t get to connect with their colleagues or leads on a regular basis.

Fast-forward to right now, most employees are still facing the aftermath of the pandemic and it’s taking a toll on their mental health. Which is why many companies and employers need to go the extra mile to show their employees that their work is appreciated, valued, and recognized – especially if your employees have been doing their best despite the pandemic!

In this article, we’ll be walking you through 3 of the best ways you can reward your employees for everything they’ve done for the company through thoughtful, personalized gifts. Let’s get started.

1. Recognize their work

It’s one thing to praise your employees over a quick call, or send them a short message on Slack for doing a good job, but sometimes, your employees deserve much more for their dedication and work. For this reason, it’s a good idea to reward them for their hard work in the form of a more physical gesture.

For instance, you can choose to give custom awards and trophies to deserving employees at the end of each year. This would not only boost the morale of the really hard workers, but it will also give your employees something to look forward to for their work, rather than a transitory verbal appreciation you may give them every once in a while.

Don’t get us wrong – because we’re all for giving your employees a pat on the back whenever you get the chance.

However, an award which they can keep with them forever will remind them of the good work they’ve done and motivate them to do even better next time. Additionally, this also gives you the chance to get more creative with the names of your awards to truly appreciate the awardees on a personal level.

You can even try to incorporate your company or brand’s colors and voice in the look and feel of the awards and trophies.

2. Appreciate the team as a whole

Whenever you come across situations of great teamwork and collaboration within your team – you need to make sure you appreciate them as a whole and motivate them to work as a unit in the future too. While the previous section covered what you can do for employees on an individual level – this section talks more about what you can do for the team as a whole.

For instance, after the successful launch of a product or service, or once you’ve hit a million users (or any other significant milestone) it makes a lot of sense to give your team a reward that appreciates all of them equally. This can be in the form of a team lunch, or if the budget permits, a mini team trip where you can go holidaying somewhere.

Acts of appreciation like this not only make your employees feel good about their hard work, but is also a great way to help build a better rapport within the team – especially if you’re following a hybrid work model and don’t spend too much time together as a team.

3. Rewards that raise the bar

Every once in a while, you may come across a high-performing employee who has truly raised the bar of expectations.

In such cases, it isn’t wrong to go a little further and give that employee a special reward for all their hard work. This can be in the form of a bonus, a small time off for a mini vacation, or even a personalized gift which you know they will appreciate.

Of course, you need to use your good judgment when giving out these gifts, and also consider the manner in which they’re being gifted. For instance, you wouldn’t want to spark any hard feelings between your employees by appreciating one person while ignoring another who has worked equally hard.

The best way to avoid such problems is to keep a close eye on the tasks being accomplished by each member – and then give them a suitable reward in accordance to the effort they’ve put in.